Paper clay, wood, concrete, silicone, netting.
2ft x 4ft x 5ft.
The Banana Mobile is a speculative investigation of humanity’s impact on nature, using the hypothetical creature of a “Banana Mobile” as both subject and metaphor. Through manipulation of bananas over generations, humans have altered their biology to the point that their seeds have practically disappeared, rendering them incapable of reproduction. The once self-sustaining fruit, now sterile, teeters on the brink of extinction.
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Some more info on the Banana Mobile:
This sculpture works to evoke the despair caused by the loss of genetic variations in bananas, and embodies both the fragility and resilience of life in the face of human intervention. The limp, contorted form of the banana represents its vulnerability, stripped of agency, and unable to fulfill its natural function. The inclusion of unusable scissors with silicon blades further underscores this theme—an object traditionally associated with creation, severed from its ability to cut, a mirror to the banana’s own castration, unable to propagate its species.
The tension between human desire for control and the processes of life that resist such interference is reflected in these objects. The banana’s helplessness highlights the frustrations felt when our attempts to "improve" nature often result in unintended consequences. The Banana Mobile is not only a statement about the imminent extinction of a fruit, but an exploration of broader themes like reproduction, interference, and the unease of watching the natural world slip from our control. Through this work, I seek to remind us of the ethical responsibility we bear to the earth’s ecosystems—and the consequences of playing God in a world that, despite our best efforts, remains untamable.